Manufacture of gas



Patented January 12, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. KONEMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MANUFACTURE OF GAS..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 749,302, dated January12, 1904.

Application filed May 18, 1903. Serial No- 157,610. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. KoNEMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in the Manufacture of Gas, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My inventionrelates to an improvement in the manufacture of water-gas onthe principle set forth in Letters Patent of the United States No.54:6,702, granted tome September 2 1, 1895, involving continuity of thegas-generating operation by employing the heat of the electric arc tocompensate for maintaining the incandescent condition of the fuelagainst the heat-absorbing effect of the steam employed in undergoingdecomposition.

The primary object of my invention is to bring about'improved economicconditions in the manufacture of water-gas while employing the aforesaidprinciple.

To accomplish my object, I take advantage of the fact that in thevarious uses of the electrometallurgical furnace a large proportion ofthe heat from the electric arc is wasted. Thus, for example, in the useof the electric furnace for the manufacture of calcium carbid by far thelarger portion of the heat from the arc is lost, as will beappare ntfrom the calculations hereinafter presented, and my purpose is toutilize the surplus heat made thus available, which amounts to fullyseventy-five per cent. of the total heat, the portion taken up by thework in the furnace and through loss by radiation being less thantwenty-five per cent. of the total.

While to practice my improved process a suitable electric furnaceemployed for other work is required, my invention is not limited to theuse of such a furnaceemployed for any particular purpose. For the sakeof illustration, however, and because of preference I confine theexplanation hereinafter contained mainly to the operation of theelectric furnace in the manufacture of calcium carbid in combinationwith a gas-producer, and since the best results are attainable in themanufacture of gas according to my improved process by providing thecarbonaceous material in the form of briquets of the kind forming thesubject of my United States Letters Patent No. 711,167, dated October14:, 1902, I show in the accompanying drawing as part of the apparatussuitable for the practice of my improvement a briquet forming and feeding machine connected with the gas-producer.

The accompanying drawing shows by a view in vertical sectional elevationfor the manufacture of Water-gas according to my improved process agas-producer with a plurality of electric furnaces connected with it atdifferent points near its base for discharging therein their surplusheat, steam-jets discharging into the producer near its base, and abriquet-machine for feeding into the producer at its upper end the fuelin the form of briquets.

A is a gas-producer of any desired construction.

B B denote electric furnaces of any suitable type.

My calculations are based on the e1nployment of the electric furnace asused for the production of calcium carbid, and in order to show the fullbenefits which may be derived therefrom I assume that the gas ismanufac-' tured from my aforesaid patented anthracite and bituminousbriqueted fuel and that ten tons of this fuel are to be converted intogas in twenty-four hours, which would be the capacity of two generators,each requiring to be connected with four carbid-furnaces, each receivinga current of two hundred and fifty electric'horse-power generated bywater-power. Owing to the nature of the View selected for theillustration, only two of the furnaces B are shown to be connected withthe producer through conduits a (aleading into it at opposite sides nearits base, with steam-jets Z) directed into the producer through theconduits The fuel C in the preferred form of briqueted finely-pulverizedanthracite and bituminous coal agglutinated together and in theproportions specified in my aforesaid Patent No. 711,167 is fed to theproducer A by a suitable apparatus, such as that shown at D, andinvolving the following-described construction: A tube f of propercross-sectional dimensions to form a briquet of desired thickness andopen at both ends is supported to discharge at one end into the producerthrough its top. On the tube near its outer end is seated a hopper 9,provided in its open base with a rotating cylinder h, containingopposite pockets 72. between said segments if, the capacity of eachpocket being for suflicient material to form a briquet. The pulverizedmixture of coals supplied to the hopper fills each pocket It as it comesby the rotation of the cylinder into position to receive the supply andis dumped by the continued rotation of the cylinder into the tube f inadvance of a piston a while the latter is on its back stroke. The piston'5 is shown connected with a toggle device it having a link connectionIn with a cam Z on a rotary shaft m, carrying gearwheels m, meshing withpinions n on a suitable drive-shaft n. The action of the cam Z againstthe toggle device reciprocates the piston i to compress the material fedin suitable quantity from a pocket 5 in advance of it into the tube finto a briquet C, the mechanism being so timed that a pocket dumps itscontents during the back stroke of the piston and is in position to befilled from the hopper during the forward piston-stroke. Thus by thebriquet-forming action of the piston the briquets are also fed into theproducer and in their desirable green condition by the crowding of thebriquets through the-tube f. The piston z', moreover, closes the tubeagainst the ingress of air in the same way that the piston d closes thepassage 0. It is very important that no air be admitted either into theelectric furnaces during their operation or into the gas-producer whileit is being charged with fuel, as it would produce the presence ofnitrogen gas, and the pistons referred to prevent the admission ofobjectionable air.

At E is shown a suction-fan in a conduit 0, leading from the upper endof the gas-producer, for taking off to a suitable holder (not shown) orto the point of its consumption the gas generated in-the producer fromthe fuel therein under the action of the steam admitted to it and thesurplus heat from the furnaces supplied continuously to it both forgenerating gas from the fuel and for supplying to the producer an amountof heat greater than the amount thereof abstracted by dissociation ofthe water-vapor.

The following calculation demonstrates the economic advantage affordedby my improvement: Qne electric horse-power produces in practice eightand one-tenth pounds of calcium carbid in twenty-four hours. Oneelectric horse-power being equal to 2,182. 54 heat units, it followsthat the heat used to produce eight and one-tenth pounds of calciumcarbid is fifty-two thousand three hundred and sixtyeight heat units.The eight and one-tenth pounds of carbid produce forty-one cubic feet or2. 56 pounds of acetylene gas containing seventeen thousand sevenhundred heat units per pound. Hence 2.56 pounds of acetylene gas,representing eight and one-tenth pounds of carbid, give of]? oncombustion forty-four thousand two hundred and eleven heat units.

The heat produced by one electric horsepower in twenty-four hours equalsfifty-two thousand three hundred and sixty-eight heat units. The heatcontained in the carbid product in twenty-four hours equals forty-fivethousand three hundred and twelve heat units; but to produce the eightand one-tenth pounds carbid there has been consumed, on the basis of itscomposition of ten parts CaO to seven parts C, a quantity of carbonrepresenting forty-one and eighteen one-hundredths per cent. or threeand one-third pounds, which is incorporated in the calcium carbid. Theheat contained in this carbon is forty-six thousand six hundred andsiXtysiX heat units or practically the amount which the resultantacetylene from eight and one-tenth pounds carbid gives off oncombustion, showing that nearly all the heat from the electric arc isunused and serviceable for extraneous utilization.

As the basis for my calculations I cite the heat reactions on twothousand pounds of pure carbon. Two thousand pounds carbon burned to COgenerate two thousand multiplied by four thousand four hundred heatunits equals eight million eight hundred thousand heat units. Twothousand pounds combine with two thousand six hundred and sixtysixpounds oxygen and form four thousand six hundred and sixty-six poundsCO. Two thousand six hundred and sixty-six pounds oxygen obtained fromsteam are combined with 296.22 pounds hydrogen. 296.22 pounds hydrogenabsorb in dissociation eighteen million three hundred and sixty-fivethousand six hundred and forty heat units. Credit the heat generated bycarbon burned to CO eight million eight hundred thousand heat units andwe have heat absorbed in excess of heat generation nine million fivehundred and sixty-five thousand six hundred and forty heat units. Thisgives us two thousand pounds carbon to CO, equaling four thousand sixhundred and sixty-six pounds, CO equaling sixty-two thousand ninehundred and ninety-one cubic feet. 296.22 pounds hydrogen equalsfifty-six thousand two hundred and eighty-one cubic feet, and as thetotal from one ton of carbon, one hundred and nineteen thousand twohundred and seventy-two cubic feet.

When produced by the electrical furnace, each one thousand feet of gasrequires eighty "electric-horse-power hours. tors are omltted from thesecalculations to avoid confusion; but 1. shall estlmate on forty thousandtwo hundred heat units to make up shortages, and this shortage is to besupplied by electrlc means. As one electric horseelectric-horse-powerhours as being required for each one thousand cubic feet.

i hundred and seventy electric horsepower. If

cubic feet.

produce'this amount is 942.5 multiplied by forty electric horse powerhours, equal- 4 The conversion of ten tons of the briqueted fuel intogas by means of surplus heat from the electrical calcium-carbid furnacewill give the following results in carbid and in gas,

the manufacture being a duplex operation;

Ten tons of briquets have a composition of about eighty-seven per cent.of combustible matter and thirteen percent. of ash and give ninety-fourthousand five hundred and forty cubicfeet.1.2tonsofhydrocarbonsgivefortyeight thousand cubic feet; total, ninehundred andforty-two thousand five hundred and forty The electricalpower required to ing th irty-seven thousand seven hundredelectr1c-horsepower hours or one thousand five this is to be supplied bywaste heat from carbid-furnaces, it only represents seventy-five percent. of the heat which must be actually employed in the furnaces, andthe amount of current initially used is therefore two thousand andninety-three electric horse-power, and

the amount of current to be provided in this waste heat amounts tofifty-three electrichorse-power hours per one thousand feet of gas made.The two thousand and ninetythree electric horse-power employed willproduce sixteen thousand nine hundred and fiftythree pounds calciumcarbid in twenty-four hours, or allowing for waste of sixteen thousandpounds, which at seventy dollars per ton has a gross value of fivehundred and sixty dollars, and allowing forty dollars per ton as thecost we obtain net results of two hundred and forty dollars per day fromthe carbid produced, leaving thewaste heat from the carbidfurnaces freeof cost; The waste heat so provided is suflicient to counterbalance theheat abstracted by the dissociation of steam, which for seven and onehalf hours centigrade amounts to nine million fivehundred and sixtyiivethousand six hundred and forty heat units per ton or a total ofseventy-two million 1 seven hundred and forty-two thousand three hundredheat units, whereas sevcnty-five per cent. of two thousand andninety-three elech tric horse-power amounts to two thousand one yhundred and eighty-two heat units per electric-horse-power hour,mutiplied by twenty-i four. hours times two thousand and ninety-17 threetimes seventy-five or eighty-two mil- 1 lion two hundred and fourthousand five hundred and sixty-eight heat units, thus leaving I ninemillion four hundred and sixty-two thousand two hundred and sixt -eightheat units for the distillation of the 1.2 tons of hydrocarbons, thefinal result being that only labor and fuel are chargeable against thegas,

all proper expenses having been charged against the carbid-furnaces. Vie thus have as carbid profits two hundred and forty dollars; fuel, (inthe Eastern States at two dollars per ton,) twenty dollars; labor oftwenty-four men at two dollars per day, fort -eight dollars, leavingnine hundred and forty-two thou- 5 sand five hundred and forty cubicfeet of gas free of cost and producing a profit of one hundred andseventy-two dollars per day, besides on each ten tons of fuel gasified,from which must be deducted the cost of purifying and 9 delivering gasto holders, interest on investment and amortization.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The method of economically manufacturing gas, which consists inintroducing steam into a producer containing a bed of carbonaceousmaterial, and conducting into said producer, from an operating electricfurnace surplus heat, practically free from nitrogen, from the arctherein to generate gas from said carbonaceous material and supply tothe producer an amount of heat greater than the amount thereofabstracted by dissociation of the water-vapor. I 5

2. The method of economically manufacturing gas, which consists inintroducing steam into a bed of briqueted carbonaceous fuel in 'agas-producer, and conducting into said producer, from an operatingelectric fur- I I0 nace surplus heat, practically free from nitrogen,from the arc therein to generate gas from such fuel and supply to theproducer an amountcf heat greater than the amount thereof abstracted bydissociation of the water- 5 vapor.

3. The method of economically manufacturing gas, which consists inintroducing steam into a bed of fuel-briquets composed of anagglutinated mixture of anthracite and bituminous coals in suitableproportions and contained in a producer, and conducting into saidproducer, from an operating electric furnace surplus heat, practicallyfree from nitrogen, from the arc therein to generate gas from I 5 saidfuel and supply to the producer an amount of heat greater than theamount thereof abstracted by dissociation of the watervapor.

turing gas, Which consists in feeding carbonaceous fuel to agas-producer and meantime excluding therefrom air, introducing steaminto said producer and conducting into the same from an operatingelectric furnace sur-' plus heat, practically free from nitrogen, fromthe arc therein to generate gas from said fuel in suitable proportions,introducing therein steam, and conducting into said producer, from anoperating electric furnace surplus heat, practically free from nitrogen,from the arc therein to generate gas from said fuel and supply to theproducer an amount of heat greater than the amount thereof abstracted bydissociation of the Water-Vapor.

6. The method of economically manufacturing gas, Which consists informing and simultaneously feeding to a gas-producer coalbriquets in agreen condition and excluding the admission of air While feeding,introducing steam into said producer, and conducting into the producer,from an operating electric furnace surplus heat, practically free fromnitrogen, from the arc therein to generate gas from said briquets andsupply to the producer an amount of heat greater than the amount thereofabstracted by dissociation of the Water-vapor.

WILLIAM A. KONEMAN. In presence of I/VALTER N. W INBERG, WV. B. DAVIES.

